Optical scanner and detector

ABSTRACT

A light ranging and detection system achieving reconfigurable very wide field of view, high sampling of spatial points per second with high optical power handling by using architecture to efficiently combine different wavelengths, time and frequency coding, and spatial selectivity. The transmitter is capable of generating multiple narrow beams, encoding different beams and transmitting in different spatial directions. The receiver can differentiate and extract range and reflectivity information of reflected beams. Three dimensional imaging of the environment is achieved by scanning the field of view of the transmitter. Control and signal processing electronic circuitries fabricated in a chip are packaged together with a chip containing the photonic components of the ranging system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/526,967, filed on Jun. 29, 2017, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) orthree dimensional imaging. More particularly, it relates to a LiDARsystem and related components targeting both short and/or long distanceranging, including methods providing a wide field of view, high samplingrate and high optical power handling

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, together with the description of exampleembodiments, serve to explain the principles and implementations of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary transmitter according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary coding scheme.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary 2D scanner.

FIG. 4 illustrates some techniques to increase the power handling of theLiDAR system.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary clustered architecture for a scanner.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary grating geometry for the emitters.

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of an example emitter.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary grating beam emitter.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary layout of 2D scanners to increase thefield of view of the LiDAR system.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary layout of different emitters.

FIGS. 11-12 illustrate exemplary receiver architectures.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary receiver signaling flow chart.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary method of generating multiple beamsfrom a transmitter, in use with a multireceiver architecture.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary packaging of a LiDAR system.

FIG. 16 illustrates other embodiments of LiDAR configurations.

FIG. 17 illustrates a multi-receiver architecture.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary arrayed waveguide grating.

FIG. 19 illustrates a signal varied in time.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a device is described, the devicecomprising an optical scanner, the optical scanner comprising an opticalphased array, the optical scanner comprising: a power splitterconfigured to split light from a waveguide connecting to at least onelaser to a plurality of waveguides; a plurality of amplitude modulatorsor phase modulators, each connected to the power splitter through acorresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides; a plurality ofemitters, each emitter connected to a corresponding amplitude or phasemodulator through a corresponding waveguide, wherein: the plurality ofamplitude modulators or phase modulators is configured to receivecontrol signals to control an amplitude or phase of the light, and theoptical phased array is configured to emit a light beam in one ormultiple spatial directions based on the amplitude or phase settings ofthe emitters.

In a second aspect of the disclosure, a method is described, the methodcomprising: generating light by at least one laser; selecting awavelength of the light; splitting light from the at least one laser toa plurality of encoders; encoding the light in a pattern by theplurality of encoders; and transmitting the light in a spatial directionby an optical phased array comprising a plurality of emitters, eachemitter connected to a corresponding encoder of the plurality ofencoders through a corresponding waveguide.

In a third aspect of the disclosure, a system is described, the systemcomprising the device of the first aspect of the disclosure, and areceiver, the receiver comprising: a broadband receiver with wide fieldof view, configured to receive light reflected from objects in anenvironment after emission from the optical phased array; a plurality ofdecoders configured to decode coding of the plurality of encoders; and adigital signal processing unit configured to determine ranging andreflectivity from objects to the receiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes a scalable LiDAR (light detection andranging) system comprising an optical phased array architecture. Thesystem can comprise one or more lasers, switches or multiplexers (MUX)to select the lasers, splitters to split the lasers into multiplewaveguides, one or more encoders to encode the laser signals, and one ormore scanners which emit and adaptively shape beams in differentdirections, as well as associated control circuitry to operate thephotonic components.

LiDAR systems can be used in a variety of applications, such asself-driving vehicles, assisted driving vehicles, mapping, sensors,cameras, drones and aerial vehicles in civilian and militaryapplications as well as consumer devices such as, for example,smartphones or tablets. The systems may be modified according to thespecific applications, depending on the resolution, power usagerequirements, spatial detection requirements and other parameters. Forexample, in self-driving vehicles, the LiDAR system can provide a threedimensional map and image the environment surrounding the vehicle inreal time, allowing the driving system to safely steer and control thevehicle. For example, self-driving cars can detect other cars,obstacles, pedestrians and other traffic, allowing a safe operation ofthe car. In some embodiments, consumer devices can use LiDAR to providea three dimensional (3D) map of the environment up to a distance ofmultiple meters, for example less than 10 meters, or less than 20meters. Three dimensional imaging devices, such as smartphones ortablets, typically require a more limited range than vehicles. Theseconsumer devices typically use less power and comprise a smaller numberof components, compared to vehicles LiDAR. For example, imaging devicesfor vehicles may consume tens of Watts, while imaging devices forconsumer electronics such as smartphones may send out optical power ofthe order of milliWatts. The imaging devices for consumer electronicscan map the environment surrounding the device, and create 3D images.These images can be used, for example, for video games, virtual reality,and facial recognition, for example for enhancing the security of adevice.

The LiDAR system of the present disclosure may comprise a transmitter, areceiver or both a transmitter and a receiver. The system can modulateseveral parameters such as laser wavelength, spatial coordinates such asthe angles of emission or reception, and encoding in the time domainthrough the laser signal shape and duration. In some embodiments, thetransmitter may comprise an array of scanners oriented in differentdirections, in order to provide spatial selectivity for the emittedlaser beams; the associated receiver can be broadband with wide field ofview to collect all signals. The received signals can then be identifiedthrough decoding of the different parameters used to encode the signals.The decoding at the receiver allows the ranging information to bedetermined.

In other embodiments, the transmitter may be broadband with a wide fieldof view, while the receiver comprises an optical phased array to allowfor the complex detection of the ranging information. In yet otherembodiments, both the transmitter and the receiver may comprise encodingand manipulation of the several parameters listed above. As known to theperson of ordinary skill in the art, a phased array comprises severalradiating elements each operating at a different phase and/or amplitude.Beams can be formed as a result of changing relative phase and/oramplitude of the signal emitted from each radiating element, and/orsteering the beams in a desired direction by providing constructive ordestructive interference. In addition, changing the amplitude of eachemitter independently can change the beam shape in the far field, e.g.increasing the directivity of the beam, or generating multiple beams indifferent directions. For example, a beam may comprise a main lobe andseveral secondary lobes at a lower intensity. In some embodiments, thebeam may be shaped so as to have two or more main lobes of similarintensity. The main lobes, in this case, would have the same wavelength,and could be differentiated at the receiver if the receiver has spatialselectivity, for example by comprising at least two receivers, whichwill receive different signals from the environment reflections of thetwo main lobes. Alternatively, in other embodiments, two beams may beshaped at the same time, each at a different wavelength. In this case,for example, the receiver could distinguish the reflections from eachbeam due to their different wavelength. Such approaches can also becombined in more complex configurations, if it is advantageous for thespecific application.

In some embodiments, the optical phased array operates at a wavelengthbetween 1500 and 1600 nm, although any wavelength may be used. Forexample, a 1550 nm wavelength is advantageous, as it is safe for thehuman eye. Since LiDAR systems for self-driving vehicles may operatealongside human traffic, it can be important for the LiDAR system tooperate efficiently at a wavelength that is safe for humans. Forexample, some existing systems operate at a wavelength of 904 nm.Compared to 904 nm, a 1550 nm wavelength allows approximately a 40×increase in power while remaining eye-safe, and approximately a 2×increase in ranging distance for the same amount of allowable eye-safepower. Additionally, using a 1550 nm wavelength allows the utilizationof the great amount of technological research and expertise developed inthe field of fiber optic communications. The LiDAR systems disclosed inthe present disclosure are, in some embodiments, wavelength-agnostic, inthe sense that they do not require operation at a specific wavelengthbut can work at multiple wavelengths, depending on the materials chosenfor fabrication. In other words, the systems described herein can belimited to the supported wavelength range of materials used to fabricatethe relevant chips, such as Si or SiN. It is known to the person ofordinary skill in the art that, for example, Si on insulator (SOI)supports a specific wavelength range (from ˜1200 nm to above 3000 nm).Therefore, if the LiDAR systems are fabricated in SOI it could supportworking in the wavelength range of that material, However, the LiDARsystems and methods described herein do not rely on a specificwavelength to be functional. Rather, the operating wavelength isselected according to the materials used for fabrication. Smallerwavelengths require tougher specifications for the fabrication process,as the operation of optical phased arrays is optimal when the pitch ofthe emitters is about half the operating wavelength.

Generally, existing LiDAR systems comprise two different ways ofoperation. In some systems, a flash LiDAR approach is used, where thetransmitter floods the environment and the receiver has the spatialselectivity. These systems may incur a loss of resolution due tomultiple reflections, possible interference between reflections, andresolution limitation due to physical sizes of the receivers. In othersystems, the transmitter has spatial selectivity and the receiver isbroadband with a wide field of view to maximize the received signal.Conventionally, a rotating mirror or liquid crystal has been used tosteer the beam and create spatial selectivity.

In the present disclosure, a phased array system is used to providespatial selectivity within a very wide scalable field of view andmaximize throughput of the number of points that the imaging system canmeasure per second. Wavelength tuning is used to steer the beam in onedirection. With current laser technology, it may be difficult to havewide tunability in a single laser, therefore a plurality of lasers maybe used to allow the use of different wavelengths. The wavelengthparameter can therefore be controlled, together with other parameters.Switches can be used to switch between lasers having a differentwavelength, in order to select one or more wavelengths to be transmittedat any one time. For example, the system may switch ON one laser and OFFthe remaining lasers, allowing the beam from that laser to enter thewaveguides towards the phased array scanners. After a specified amountof time, the switch may cut off the beam and activate another beam. Insome embodiments, more than one laser may be ON, the beamssimultaneously pointing in different directions, thus allowingsimultaneous emission of different wavelengths or wavelength bands. Asplitter may be used to split the ON laser beam to a number of encoders,allowing the use of sub-bands for tuning. For example, the wavelengthused may vary by 50-100 nm.

In some embodiments, different wavelengths are used for different beams,which are emitted in different spatial directions. In these embodiments,the radiation direction of the emitters can be tuned by wavelength; thiscapability can be designed into the system. For example, a 20° change inspatial direction may correspond to a 100 nm wavelength change. In someembodiments, a “scanner” or “optical scanner” can be defined as a devicewhich generates one or more optical beams and is capable of adaptivelyscanning and/or beamforming.

In some embodiments, each encoder is connected to a scanner, such as a2D scanner, which can orient the beam into different directions. In someembodiments, the 2D scanners are fabricated on a monolithic chip. Each2D scanner can orient a beam in a specific direction in space, for agiven setting and/or wavelength, and steer the beam by a certain amount,by changing its settings and/or wavelength. Therefore, each scanner canorient the beam at a specific θ and φ. As understood by the person ofordinary skill in the art, θ and φ are spherical coordinates angles. Forexample, 0 may be defined as the angle between the emitted beam and theaxis normal to the plane of the photonic chip onto which the scanner isfabricated, while φ may be defined as the angle between the emitted beamand an axis perpendicular to the axis normal to the plane of thephotonic chip, for example the longitudinal axis of the chip. Differentframes of reference may be used through a simple coordinatetransformation. Different LiDAR systems can cover different angles inspace. Multiple systems may be used together to cover a larger set ofangles. For example, if a system can cover 120° horizontally, three suchsystems may cover 360°. The two emission angles, θ and φ, can be used toparametrize the emission space. In some embodiments, 1D scanners can beused instead of 2D scanners, to steer the beam in one direction (forexample φ) and multiple 1D scanners can be used to orient the beam inthe other direction, (e.g. θ), to cover specific angular ranges.Examples of emitters that can be used in a 1D scanner are etched facetSi waveguides, grating couplers, or plasmonic radiators.

In some embodiments, the θ angle at which the beam is emitted can becontrolled by the engineering of the emitters (e.g. gratings) in thephased array and can be swept by changing the wavelength input to thephased array. The φ angle at which the beam is emitted can be controlledby the orientation of the phased array and can be swept by controlling(e.g. by a CMOS electronic circuitry) the phase or amplitude of theemitters. Different phased array may also be arranged with differentorientations relative to each other. By engineering and electroniccontrol, the scanning arcs of the LiDAR are therefore configurable indesign and customizable in use.

Encoding advantageously increases the capacity (the number of processedpoints in the space per second) of the LiDAR system, as instead ofsending single laser pulses, multiple pulses can be emitted in a shortperiod of time, each with a different code. The codes can be designed sothat the receiver is able to reconstruct and decode the received laserpulses.

Different applications for LiDAR systems may have different requirementsin the angles of coverage. Such requirements may be fulfilled indifferent ways. In some embodiments, 1D scanners may be used to createmultiple beams in the horizontal plane. In other embodiments, 2Dscanners can use multiple beams by varying θ and φ, thus allowingcoverage in the horizontal and vertical directions. In some embodiments,the receiver may use multiple orthogonal receivers to detect multiplebeams emitted by the plurality of scanners. Therefore, in someembodiments a phased array may be implemented at the transmitter only,at the receiver only, or at both transmitter and receiver.

In an optical phased array, multiple emitters are placed close together,typically with uniform or non-uniform spacing. By changing the phase andamplitude of each emitter independently, the generated far field beamcan be steered, and its shape can be formed arbitrarily, electronically,without moving any parts physically. The tuning mechanism of the opticalphase or amplitude can be carried out, for example, by usingelectro-optical effects such as carrier injection/depletion inside SiPIN diodes, thermo-optical effects, and electro-absorption effect (e.g.Franz-Keldysh effect) inside materials such as SiGe or Ge. The tuningelectrical signal can be provided, for example, through thecomplementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry. The opticalphased arrays in the present disclosure can therefore achieve beamsteering, beam forming and spatial selectivity through electroniccontrol, instead of mechanically moving the emitters. In phased arrays,the antenna pitch is desired to be sub-wavelength to allow a widesteering range, otherwise identical images (grating lobes) are createdin the far field, causing power efficiency degradation while at the sametime limiting the range that the beam can be steered in. The distancebetween emitters can be controlled during fabrication. Reducing thespacing between emitters can reduce the radiation efficiency of thearray, or cause a power leak from one emitter to the adjacent one. Forexample, Si waveguides with sub-micron thickness on the same substrateplaced with a center to center spacing less than 1.5-2 μm apart cancause a power leak between adjacent emitters. As a consequence of thesecurrent technological constraints, the steering range can be limited toaround 50°. In the present disclosure, the steering range can be higherthan 50° since the emitters can be fabricated using thicker Si, and thehighly confined optical mode inside the waveguides allows shrinking theemitter pitch without causing a power leak to adjacent emitters.

In some embodiments, the photonic components are all fabricatedmonolithically in a single chip, while the control circuitry, e.g. CMOScircuitry, is fabricated in a separate chip. The separation betweenchips allows the optimization of the photonics on custom siliconphotonic processes (e.g. Si), as well as a separate, independent,optimization of the electronic circuitries in the CMOS chip. Themonolithic fabrication of both parts in a single chip is possible butcan lead to a compromise in performance that can limit the overallperformance of the LiDAR system. For instance, monolithic processes donot support thick (micron level) Si waveguides, while micron-sizedwaveguides can guide and radiate high optical power (e.g. Watt levelrequired for ranging of about 200 meters for self-driving carsapplication). In future, as CMOS and photonics fabrication techniquesbecome more advanced, the entire system may be fabricatedmonolithically.

In some embodiments, the different components are fabricated on a Sichip that has a varying thickness. For example, the thickness may belarger at the laser input and switch side, and gradually or abruptlydecrease towards the splitter, the encoder and the scanner. For example,a thickness of 3 or more micrometers may be used to vertically confinethe optical mode in the waveguide in early stages of the system (e.g. onthe laser input side), to increase the optical power handling of thesystem. In some embodiments, the number of emitters inside a scanner canbe in the hundreds or thousands. Therefore, the input optical power isorder(s) of magnitude higher than the power of each emitter. Thethickness of Si on the scanner side is typically a few microns. Micronlevel thickness allows strong vertical confinement. In other words, mostof the optical power is confined in the middle of the waveguide and theamount of power leaked into the cladding (typically SiO₂) is much lessthan the case where the Si waveguide thickness is sub-micron. Thethickness gradient helps reducing the emitter pitch without causingperformance degradation, while at the same time allowing an increase inthe steering range. Another advantage of using micron level waveguidesis the low sensitivity of the optical phase of emitted beams to thefabrication process tolerances, waveguide sidewall roughness, widthtolerance and thickness variations from one point to another point ofthe waveguide optical circuit. The size of the photonic circuitrytypically is in the millimeter order of magnitude, therefore it isadvantageous to keep unwanted optical phase variations as low aspossible. The order of magnitude for the change in refractive index ofSi due to variations in the fabrication process in sub-micron siliconphotonic processes is 10⁻⁴, while in micron-level fabrication processesit can be two orders of magnitude lower (e.g. 10⁻⁶). The sub-wavelengthhorizontal spacing between emitters, for example below 1 micrometer(e.g. 0.7-0.8 micrometers) for a wavelength equal to 1.55 μm, allows awide steering range (e.g. more than 140°) that is significantly largerthan the current state of the art values of 50°.

Different LiDAR systems as described herein may have a different numberof scanners or antennas, depending on the application. Differentscanning speeds may also be implemented. An exemplary scanning speedcould be 10⁶ points per second. For example, self-driving vehicles mayrequire a high scanning speed, while other applications may require ahigh resolution, but be tolerant of lower scanning speeds. The LiDARsystem may also be configured to automatically or manually switch to alow power operation state, where some of the scanners are turned off orlaser power is controlled. For example, the system may normally operatemultiple (M) scanners, but in certain situations it may turn part of thescanners OFF, or even simply operate with only one scanner. The systemmay then turn ON additional scanners as required.

Different applications may have different requirements for the phasedarray. The beam generated by a phased array often includes side lobesand a main lobe. For some applications, such as self-driving cars, thepeak-to-peak ratio of main to side lobes may be required to be 40-50 dB.This requirement can originate because of the reflection from brightsurfaces such as traffic signs. The reflection, in these cases, cancause saturation of the main lobe signal, compared to the side-lobe peakpower. On the other hand, dark objects have much lower reflectivitycompared to bright objects. The variation in reflectivity from objectscommonly found in a driving environment may require that the receiver isable to handle a dynamic range of around 100 dB. This requirement may bemet by a combination of active beam forming and a high dynamic range atthe receiver.

The optical phased array of the present disclosure allows independentcontrol of the phase and amplitude of each emitter inside each scanner,thus allowing beam forming. Independent control of phase shift andamplitude of optical field at each element enables creation of arbitraryradiation patterns. The wavelength band of electromagnetic waves used,e.g. 1500-1600 nm, allows the implementation of a small size for eachunit element and a reduction in unwanted grating lobes in the far-fieldradiation pattern. As known to the person of ordinary skill in the art,phased arrays as described in the present disclosure can be implementedwith radiating elements comprising a grating coupler, etched facetwaveguides, or mirrored facet waveguide. The optical phased array canradiate light with desired patterns when implemented in a transmittersystem. The optical phased array can also receive the light incident tothe array at the desired directions, when implemented as a receiversystem.

The 3D imaging systems of the present disclosure may differ in theirspecification according to their application. For example, forautonomous vehicles, the imaging system may have a range of somehundreds meters, a power consumption of tens of Watts, the radiated peakpower may be in the tens of Watts, the size of the system may be about10×10 cm², the angular resolution may be less than 0.10, the horizontalor vertical field of view (FOV) may be 100°×20°, For example, forconsumer electronics the range may be limited to less than 5 meters, thepower consumption may be less than 2 W, the radiated peak power may beless than 10 mW, the size of the system may have high constraints, forexample being less than 1 cm² (e.g. a single stage laser may besufficient), the angular resolution may be less than 0.2°, thehorizontal or vertical field of view may be 80°×80° or greater, e.g.100°×100°. In some embodiments, the FOV of consumer devices is square.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary transmitter according to an embodimentof the present disclosure. A number of lasers with tunable wavelengths(110), numbered from 1 to K, are driven by an electronic circuit, e.g. aCMOS chip (105). The wavelength range for each laser is indicated asλ₁-λ₂ up to λ_(m)-λ_(n). The laser is followed by a K×1 optical switchthat can be based, for example, on cascaded MZI interferometers withactive phase tuners (115), also controlled by an electronic circuit(e.g. a CMOS chip) (125). The laser beams then enter a 1×m splitter(120), where m is the number of scanners. Each scanner (150) includes aphased array architecture. All the optical components (e.g. notincluding the electronic circuitries) can be fabricated on a single diewith or without laser, while the rest of the circuitry can be fabricatedseparately and then bonded or attached to the optical component die. Thelight can be guided using waveguides, e.g. made of Si. In someembodiments, the Si waveguide has a thickness gradient decreasingtowards the output direction, i.e. the direction of the scanners. Thethickness gradient is possible from fabrication standing point and it isimportant because earlier stages of the system, i.e. before thesplitters, may require high optical power, while each emitter insideeach scanner is radiating a fraction of the total input power, andtherefore does not require high optical power handling. On the otherhand, using smaller waveguides on the scanner side of the system reducesthe active power consumption required to tune each scanner and alsoenables designing emitters with higher radiation efficiencies.Therefore, in some embodiments, the waveguides have a thicknessgradient, with a thicker thickness before a splitter, and a lowerthickness after the splitter. In other embodiments, the thickness of theSi may be increased, instead, if required by the specific application.In some embodiments, thickness tapering can be used to transitionbetween high and low power elements, as a lower power can be transmittedby waveguides with a decreased thickness. In some embodiments, the Sithickness, although varying, is maintained at 1 micrometer or higher.For example, the phase error of waveguides that are at least 3micrometers thick is 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of waveguideshaving a sub-micrometer thickness. The specific application may benefitfrom sub-micrometer or above-micrometer thicknesses. In someembodiments, by keeping the thickness at one micrometer or higher, thefabrication and integration of a great number of components in a singlechip can be advantageously simplified, and result in high yield andbetter performance.

Subsequently, m encoders (135,140) can encode the laser signals toenable spatial selectivity. For example, the signals may be encoded inthe time or frequency domains to support either time-of-flight orfrequency modulated continuous wave imaging architectures. The laseroptical path then continues past the encoders into the scanners. In theexample of FIG. 1, the scanners are 2D scanners (150,155) which can eachencode in a different spatial direction determined by two parameters.Each 2D scanner is fabricated on the same chip to emit in a fixeddirection, for a given wavelength and setting of amplitude and/or phasesof the active components within the scanner. The output beam generatedby each scanner can be steered in different directions by tuning thephase and/or amplitude of the emitters inside each scanner andwavelength. In the example of FIG. 1, the two parameters controlled bythe 2D scanners are the angles θ and φ (145). The system of FIG. 1 canalso vary other parameters as discussed above, such as the wavelength,the wavelength bands for each laser, what lasers are switched ON or OFFat any given time, as well as encoding different signal patterns foreach 2D scanner. By controlling different parameters, the operationalcapability of the LiDAR system greatly improves. In FIG. 1, themodulated beam (160) is illustrated for three exemplary scanners, thoughany number of scanners may be incorporated in an array. In someembodiments, the switch, splitter, encoder and 2D scanners are allfabricated monolithically in one Si chip, while the CMOS circuitry (125)is fabricated on a different chip, and the two chips are packagedtogether. The CMOS circuitry (125) also controls the encoders (135,140),switch (115) and can also control the 2D scanners (155). The CMOScircuitry can also sync with the receiver (130) to enhance signalcollection, using electronic control signals.

The lasers (110) can comprise multiple tunable lasers. Some of theparameters of the LiDAR system comprise the wavelength, the time domain,the encoding, and the spatial orientation of the beam. Controllingdifferent parameters allow the LiDAR system to minimize jamming(unwanted interference) from other LiDAR systems. For example, encodingcan reduce interference during operation if other LiDAR systems areoperating concurrently in the same environment, as expected in certainapplications such as self-driving cars.

In some embodiments, a fixed wavelength and one scanner can be used tosteer the beam in one direction by controlling φ. In these embodiments,multiple 1D scanners, fabricated in different chips, can be used tosteer the beam by controlling θ; these 1D scanners are designed asoriented at different θ within the same package.

In some embodiments, the K×1 optical switch (115) can be substitutedwith an optical multiplexer (MUX). As understood by the person ofordinary skill in the art, the optical switch, being an activecomponent, consumes electrical power to operate, while the opticalmultiplexer, being a passive component, does not consume electricalpower. On the other hand, using an active switch gives the flexibilityto choose different wavelengths as required to adaptively control thenumber of sampling per second. For example, an active switch can quicklyswitch between the beams of different lasers, at different wavelengths,thus illuminating the same point with multiple wavelengths.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary coding scheme for some of the encodersof FIG. 1. For example, three different encoding schemes for threedifferent scanners are illustrated (205,210,215). The light intensity onthe y axis is plotted against time on the x axis. In some embodiments, adigital code with high and low states can be used. The code can bepseudo-random to create orthogonality between codes, and minimizeinterference at the receiver. Each scanner may operate with a codehaving different pulse schemes. For example, the number, sequence andduration of the pulses can be modulated. In the example of FIG. 2, eachpulse has a small ramp up and down, with shapes similar to a squarewave. In some embodiments, the code used is digital, with each binarydigit being a square wave pulse of equal duration, e.g. each 1 being asquare pulse of equal duration and amplitude. In the example (205), the4-bit code word [1 0 0 1] is implemented by time-domain waveform andincludes four pulses with high, low, low and high values, each withduration T_(b). In the example (210), the 4-bit code word is [1 1 0 1],and in the example (215) it is [0 1 0 0]. The code words can be repeatedwith a period of T. The person of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that different digital coding schemes can be applied. Oncethe encoded signal is transmitted, the range to the object can bedetermined by measuring the time that it takes for the pulse to bedetected at the receiver (the time between transmission at thetransmitter, and reception at the receiver after reflection from theenvironment).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary 2D scanner. The system of FIG. 1, insome embodiments, can comprise multiple scanners (150). In someembodiments, each scanner (150) can comprise the components of FIG. 3.In some embodiments, the spacing between emitters is uniform, however inother embodiments, a non-uniform spacing can render the far field beammore focused. In these embodiments, the non-uniform spacing betweenemitters narrows the beam width and increase the beam directivity.

The angular range covered in the present disclosure architecture isreconfigurable, and by design can typically cover more than 120°horizontally and more than 80° vertically. For applications that requirevery wide angular ranges, such as 360° horizontal ranges in self-drivingcars, multiple LiDAR systems can be used.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary scanner. Multiple scanners may be usedin a single system. Each scanner, therefore, may comprise a powersplitter to divide the optical mode across multiple emitters. The splitratio at the power splitter can be non-uniform to save power consumptionand carry out passive beamforming. In FIG. 3, the waveguide (305) has athickness that allows high optical power handling. For example, thecross section may be sized accordingly, and/or PIN junctions may be usedto sweep up free carriers released due to high optical power to keep thepropagation loss as low as possible, hence increasing the optical powerhandling. As known to the person of ordinary skill in the art, a PINjunction comprises an intrinsic or undoped layer sandwiched between a p-and an n-doped region. In some embodiments, tens of W may pass throughthe waveguide. For example, 60-80 W may be required for ranging atdistances greater than 200 m, which may be acceptable for cars and othervehicles such as helicopters or drones may require longer ranges. Insome embodiments, a thickness of 3 micrometers or higher may be used,such as 10-20 micrometers. For example, a Si thickness of 3 micrometersfor the waveguides may be sufficient for a radiated peak power of 30-50W, while km ranging may require higher thicknesses.

The splitter (310) distributes the laser optical power to differentchannels, successively through amplitude modulators (315), phasemodulators (320) and to the emitters (325). The amplitude and phasemodulators may comprise PIN junctions, ring resonators, thermo-opticaldevices, electro-absorption modulators based on Franz-Keldysh, orquantum confined Stark effect (QCSE), etc. The emitters fabricationparameters may comprise an individual length Le, a width We, and aspacing d between emitters. The spacing may be uniform or vary betweenemitters. In some embodiments, a calibration photodiode can be connectedpast each emitter, for calibration purposes. In some embodiments, eachemitter, by design, has a residual power at its end that can be fed toan on-chip or off-chip photodetector. The photodetector can be, forexample, made of Ge and integrated in the same fabrication process, or aIII-V semiconductor which is heterogeneously integrated. In someembodiments, 1-5% of input power to the emitter is left at the end ofthe emitters to be detected by photodiodes, to calibrate the amplituderesponse of each emitter as well as the loss in transmission from thelaser to each emitter. Therefore, in some embodiments, the system cancontinuously monitor and calibrate the amplitude response of eachemitter.

In some embodiments, the signal output by the LiDAR system may have sidelobes which can create confusion in the 3D imaging if one of the objectsin the system's environment has a reflected signal that falls inamplitude within the same range of one of the side lobes. One way tosolve this problem is to increase the peak to peak ratio for the mainand side lobe peaks, by doing beamforming. Beamforming can be carriedout using the amplitude controllers of the phased array, such as, forexample, the AM modules (520) in FIG. 5. For example, by implementing aGaussian amplitude profile it is possible to achieve a 20-25 dBimprovement in the peak to peak ratio for the main to side lobe peaks,compared with a uniform amplitude profile. With a Gaussian profile, someemitters would receive a lower amplitude compared other emitters, withan amplitude variation determined by the Gauss function. For example,central emitters would receive a higher amplitude than non-centralemitters. By controlling the amplitude profile (e.g. uniform, Gaussian,etc.) of the light transmitted through each emitter, it is possible tocontrol the spot size emitted by the LiDAR system.

The amplitude and phase modulators and the emitters may be collectivelytermed as the phased array. The Si thickness may gradually decrease fromthe splitter to the emitter by a vertical taper. For example, if the Sithickness is 3 micrometers at the splitter side, the emitters may have aSi thickness of about 1 micrometer, with the spacing d also being aboutsub 1 micrometer. Since the laser power is split between emitters, thewaveguides past the emitters can have a reduced thickness since highpower handling is not required in the terminal elements. In someembodiments, the spacing between emitters and/or the width of eachemitter is chosen to have sub-wavelength values. Since multiple beamscould confuse reception at the receiver, the phased array can apply beamforming, as known to the person of ordinary skill in the art. In someembodiments, 100 emitters or more may be fabricated for each phasedarray to create a fine angular resolution, of the order of 0.1°.

In some applications, a 10% reflectivity from objects in the environmentat a 200 m range is considered acceptable, and the LiDAR system can beconfigured to allow detection of the reflected signals with areflectivity of 10% at 200 m.

FIG. 4 illustrates some techniques to increase the power handling of theLiDAR system. A cross section in the yz plane (405) and a cross sectionin the yx plane (410) are shown. The optical mode (415) in the PIN diode(410) is also illustrated. The power handling can be increased byincreasing the silicon waveguide thickness, and/or using a PIN diodeacross the waveguide to sweep free carriers. In some embodiments, theh_(a) (430) dimension in FIG. 4 is in the range of 2-10 μm, while therange for h_(b) (435) can be 0.5-2 μm. In FIG. 4, section (420)represents the input waveguide all the way to after the splitter, wherethe level of power is at least one order of magnitude less than theinput power, while section (425) represents the lower power photoniccircuitry, such as emitters and associated amplitude and phasecontrollers. In some embodiments, the diode may comprise an n++ region(440), and a p++ region (445), with no doping requirements for thecentral region or the sidewalls of the waveguide (450), which can beleft as intrinsic. This embodiment may have better power efficiency, asthe n and p regions do not need to extend onto the central region (450).The modulators (320) of FIG. 3 point the beam in the desired direction.In some embodiments, the encoders of FIG. 1 can be substituted withmodulators, changing the operation to continuous wave mode instead ofpulsed mode. In some embodiments, the amplitude may be kept constant,and only the frequency is modulated over time. For example, chirping canbe carried out, and the lasers are turned ON one at a time. In someembodiments, a single modulator may be used, and shared by all lasers.In other embodiments, the number of modulators used instead of theencoders can be equal to the number of scanners or optical phasedarrays. If multiple modulators are used, each modulator can modulate adifferent beam in a different manner, which can be advantageous.However, the tradeoff is that a higher number of components is required,therefore increasing power consumption.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary clustered architecture for a scanner. InFIG. 5, each subarray (505,510,515) consists of a scanner as described,for example, in FIG. 3. The amplitude (520) and phase (525) modulatorscan adjust and control the relative mismatch between subarrays. Adifferent spacing d may separate different subarrays. The number ofemitters and spacing can be different from one sub-array to another one,to optimize beamwidth and shape of the far field pattern.

The emitters of the scanners described above can be fabricated indifferent ways. For example, a grating coupler may be used. As known tothe person of ordinary skill in the art, a grating coupler typicallycomprises a grating above or below a waveguide. Depending on theresonance between the waveguide and the grating, certain optical modescan be coupled between the two structures. In other embodiments, othertypes of emitter may be used, such as etched facet Si waveguide, metalmirrors etc. In some embodiments, the emitters used in the presentdisclosure have a wavelength dependent dispersion, causing steering ofthe beam in one direction, wide far field beam width in a firstdirection, and narrow beam width in a second direction perpendicular tothe first direction.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary grating geometry for the emitters, in aside view. The laser light is in the plane of the figure, from left toright (625). Several geometric and material parameters can be specified,such as the height h₁ for the material thickness (630), h₂ for thethickness of the beams forming the grating (655) and h₃ for the materialthickness at the final end of the emitter (650). In FIG. 6, therefractive indexes of different parts of the structure are indicated asn₁ (620), n₂ (610) and n₃ (605). In some embodiments, (610) and (605)are made of Si, or SiN, while the cladding (620) and the cavity (615)are made of SiO₂. The cavity (615) can minimize back reflections andimprove upward radiation efficiency. The height and length of cavity(615) are indicated as e (635) and a (640). Other geometrical parameterscomprise the separation between teeth (beams making up the grating), gi(665), the period of the grating Λ₁ (660), and the total length of thegrating Lei (645).

The grating geometry, by design, can be tuned for each 2D scanner sothat for a given wavelength the scanner radiates in a differentradiation angle θ. The emitter geometry and design can be tuned tooptimize upward radiation efficiency for different θ. In FIG. 6, anexemplary direction of the radiated light is shown (680).

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of an emitter. For example, FIG. 7represents a top view of part of FIG. 6. The laser light (705) entersthe structure as in FIG. 6. Parameters (715,710, 720) are defined as inFIG. 6. The width We (725) of the grating is shown in FIG. 7. Thegrating width can be designed to be typically sub-wavelength in size toshrink the antenna pitch size in the optical phased array. For example,the width of the grating can be sub micrometer, e.g. a 0.5 m width willgenerate far field beamwidth of approximately 150°. In FIG. 7, anexemplary radiation direction is out of the sheet of the figure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary beam emitted by a grating. In FIG. 8,the laser light is guided into the grating in direction (805). As inprevious figures, only part of the grating (810) is shown, as thegrating may comprise a significantly greater number of beams than shownin the figures of the present application, as understood by the personof ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, different emitters,by design, may have different radiation angles. An exemplary far-fieldradiated beam is shown (815), emitted at an angle θ₁ (825). The beamsize can be described as angle α (820) and can be designed to be narrow,depending on the specific emitter design. In some embodiments, α istypically less than 0.10 for an emitter having a length Lei (720) of afew hundred micrometers, as it may be required by some applications suchas self-driving cars. This beam size has weak wavelength dependency. Forexample, for 100 nm wavelength change from 1500-1600 nm, beamwidth maychange by around 6%. As known to the person of ordinary skill in theart, the beamwidth of a far field beam of a phased array in angulardirection along emitters line-up, is roughly inversely proportional tothe number of antennas. In some embodiments, hundreds of antennas may beneeded to achieve a 0.1° resolution, e.g. at least 100 antennas may berequired. Similar to a there is also a weak wavelength dependency on thebeamwidth size along phased array. For a 100 nm wavelength change from1500-1600 nm, the beamwidth may change by around 6%.

The tolerance of the absolute beam angular direction in θ is a functionof error in wavelength and process tolerance on emitter fabrication. Fortypical device parameters, the tolerance is about 0.1% of the beamsize(it is therefore negligible). In the φ direction (phased array) it is afunction of phase, and amplitude settings and process tolerance.Analysis shows it is around 1% of the beamsize. This tolerance can becalibrated out using look-up tables for phase and amplitude settings.Unwanted change in the characteristics of the beam profile for differentpoints within field of view due to process variation, wavelength driftetc. can be calibrated and set to meet required performance parametersof a LiDAR system like angular resolution, based on application, byadjusting parameters in the disclosed architecture. In other words, thecontinuous calibration allows the detection and adjustment of unwantedchanges in the emission.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary layout of 2D scanners to increase thefield of view of the LiDAR system. In this example, four lasers arecoupled into four Si waveguides (905,910,915,920) and operate at fourdifferent wavelength bands. Waveguides connect the lasers to two 2×1switches. Each 2×1 switch comprises a 2×2 power splitter (925), such asa multi-mode interferometer, followed by two balanced waveguides, one orboth having an electro-optical phase modulator, such as a PIN diode or athermo-optical device, to switch one of the inputs to the outputwaveguide. In some embodiments, depending on the voltage across eachphase modulator, only one input is connected to the outputsimultaneously. The 2×1 switch can therefore comprise a 2×2 splitter, aphase modulator and a 2×1 splitter. In some embodiments, differentvoltage settings can be used to transmit a portion of both inputs to theoutput depending on the relative phase difference between arms ofswitch. Several waveguides (935) are illustrated, as understood by theperson of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the thicknessof the Si is tapered across the structure, decreasing from the lasersand switches towards the emitters. In some embodiments, the thickness iskept no lower than a micrometer to keep the phase error betweenwaveguides under control and being able to increase the number ofcomponents in a small chip, to improve performance parameters such asthe angular resolution of the LiDAR system.

Several switches and splitters are illustrated in FIG. 9, as understoodby the person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a 1×3 splitter(940) distributes the optical power across three waveguides, typicallyuniformly by design, each having its own encoder (945). The encoder andswitches are connected (950), for example, to CMOS control circuitry ona different chip packaged together with the photonic chip. In someembodiments, an electro-optical amplitude modulator can be used as anencoder (945), for example a PIN diode. Waveguides subsequently connecteach encoder to its own optical phased array, e.g. (950). Each opticalphased array may comprise a 1×N splitter (955), where N is determined,for example, according to the desired beamwidth and can be equal to100-200.

In some embodiments, tapering is carried out only downstream (to theright) of section (960), for each optical path in the phased arrays. Inother words, in some embodiments, the thickness of the Si material isthe same through the system of FIG. 9, or it may be tapered from thelasers to the emitters, or it may be tapered on in the terminal parts ofthe phased arrays, including section (960) and sections downstream ofthe vertical tape section (960). The emitters (965) can be tailored toemit at specific radiation angles θ and φ for a given wavelength andphased array setting, specified for each emitter in the phased arrays.For example, each emitter in a phased array may emit at the same θ, withdifferent phased arrays emitting at different θ, or emitters in the samephased array may emit at different θ as well. For example, one phasedarray may emit at a fixed wavelength at θ₁, while another phased arrayin the system may emit at a fixed wavelength at θ₂, and a third phasedarray may emit at a fixed wavelength at θ₃. Additionally, each phasedarray may be placed in a different orientation on the layout of thechip, to vary radiation angle φ. For example, each of the phased arraysin FIG. 9 may radiate at different φ angles, or some arrays may emit atthe same φ but different θ angles. For example, angle φ is greater thanzero. Therefore, it is possible to vary both radiation angles θ and φfor each scanner, according to the wavelength, to increase angularcoverage, i.e. field of view, of the LiDAR system.

In the examples of FIG. 9, four lasers and three optical phased arraysare used. However, a different number of lasers or phased arrays may beused. The encoders, in some embodiments, fast amplitude modulators canbe used with a time response of the order of nanoseconds.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary layout of different emitter types,similarly to FIG. 9, but from a different perspective. In FIG. 10,several elements of the photonic circuit are not shown but can bepresent in (1005). Three exemplary beams are illustrated,(1010,1015,1020). Each beam is radiated from a 2D scanner at a specificwavelength and θ and φ as described above with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary receiver architecture. For example, thesignal processing may comprise: a digital signal processing unit (1105),which may sync with circuitry at the transmitter; an n-bit analog todigital converter (ADC,1110), a plurality of decoders (1120), a clock(1130) and an analog receiver (1125). Light reflected from theenvironment after emission by the transmitter is received as illustratedin (1145), for example by an optical receiver with wide field of view,to maximize captured power (1140). The receiver may comprise a singlephotodiode, such as an avalanche photodiode (APD), with a largeaperture, or an array of detectors to increase the received signal tonoise ratio (SNR), or a phased array. In some embodiments, a tunableoptical filter may be used (1135), to suppress noise and increase thereceived SNR. The processed range and reflectivity data (1115) is sentto the processing unit (1105).

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary receiver architecture, front-ended withan array of avalanche photodiodes (APD) to increase gain. In thisembodiment, the gain of each photodiode can be adjusted by controllingthe bias voltage to maximize the received SNR. The light being receivedis illustrated (1220). The receiver comprises an array of avalanchephotodiodes (1215) and an analog receiver (1205), comprising, forexample, a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with adjustable gain. Atransimpedance amplifier is a current-to-voltage converter, usuallyimplemented with an operational amplifier. The received electricalsignal can be processed using similar blocks as illustrated in FIG. 11(1130).

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary receiver signaling flow chart,comprising multiple steps, for example: filtering received light bywavelength to improve SNR (1305); converting to an electrical signalusing a photodetector (1310); decoding the signal to determine fromwhich scanner it originates from (1315); measuring the delay andreflectivity of the signal (1320); digitizing the measured data (1325);and processing the digital signal (1330).

FIG. 14 illustrates a way to increase the field of view by generatingmultiple beams at the transmitter and using a multireceiverarchitecture. For example, a phased array transmitter (1405), witharchitecture similar to that of FIG. 1, may emit multiple beams, e.g.two beams (1420) and (1425), in different directions simultaneously. Tworeceivers (1410,1415) are illustrated. Multiple receivers can be locatedrelatively orthogonal to each other to create spatial selectivity on thereceive path, to increase the effective field of view. For example, thereceiver architecture may be realized as in FIGS. 11-12. In someembodiments, each beam (1420,1425) has a different wavelength. If thewavelength used is the same, then the beam can be oriented in adifferent direction. Alternatively, a single receiver may also be used,for example with pass band filters. In some embodiments, each beam fromthe same scanner may have different codes instead of sharing the samecode. In some embodiments, the receiver may comprise a number of devicessimilar to the scanners (150,155) in FIG. 1, to receive light from theenvironment. In these embodiments the scanners can also receive powerbecause of reciprocity. Using multiple beams and multiple receivers, thefield of view of the LiDAR system can be increased, hence the number ofscanned points per second is also increased. For example, the number ofscanned points per second is doubled in the example of FIG. 14, due tothe use of two simultaneous beams.

In some embodiments, the operating wavelength of the LiDAR scannerdescribed herein is between 1 and 10 micrometers. The optical threedimensional imaging system disclosed herein can offer very fast scanning(number of sampling points per second), e.g. multi-10⁶ points persecond, by mixing wavelength, time and frequency encoding as well asspatial selectivity. The use of CMOS compatible silicon processing canoffer much cheaper fabrication compared with existing systems. Thepresently disclosed LiDAR system can handle large optical power,enabling the ranging of long distances (such as hundreds of meters or akilometer). Other advantages of the LiDAR system described herein are:Fast tuning of optical beam scanners using carrier injection modulators;an on-chip calibration scheme for the beam scanner using photodetectors;a high sampling rate for imaging; a combination of wavelength, time andfrequency coding to increase throughput; all-semiconductor-based opticalimaging system (a cheap and highly manufacturable solution); increasingfield of view by sending multiple beams from the transmitter and usingmultiple receivers to scan spatially orthogonal regions; emitter designcan be different for 2D scanners to optimize radiation efficiency.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary packaging of a LiDAR system. Forexample, the system comprises: receiver electronics, e.g. an integratedCMOS chip (1505); a lens to maximize the power received by the receiver(1535); a carrier board, e.g. a printed circuit board (1525) to supplyelectronic chips, de-coupling capacitors, and provide synchronizationclock and circuitries; electrical connections from the CMOS chip to thephotonic chip, e.g. by wire bonding or bonding to photonic chips usingthrough-silicon via (TSV) connections (1515); a lens to adjust thetransmitter beamwidth (1520); transmitter electronic, e.g. an integratedCMOS chip (1510); a photonic transmitter (1530) and a photonic receiver(1540).

FIG. 16 illustrates other embodiments of LiDAR configurations. Forexample, the transmitter (1605) can flash light in single or multiplewavelength configurations in an omni-directional way instead of usingspatially targeted beams. The transmitted light (1615) is reflected byan object (1620) and received (1620) by a receiver (1610) based on anoptical phased array which has spatial reflectivity. In other words, thereceiver determines which light is coming from which direction. In thisembodiment, an optical phased array can be used at the receiver tocreate spatial selectivity while the transmitter is transmitting lightin all directions at least within the field of view of the receiver. Inother embodiments, both the receiver and the transmitter can havespatial selectivity using an optical phased array architecture asillustrated in FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, a transmitter may comprise multiple scanners, eachfabricated in a different geometrical orientation. In this way, eachscanner covers a range of angles at a specific wavelength or range ofwavelengths. By varying the laser wavelength, it is also possible tochange the angle covered by the scanners, thus allowing tuning of thespatial direction and overall coverage of the LiDAR system. In someembodiments, the emitters in each 2D scanner will be encoded in the sameway, but will have a different code compared to adjacent 2D scanner.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example on how to increase the field of view bygenerating multiple beams and using multiple receivers. In someembodiments, multiple beams may be emitted by using two differentwavelengths (e.g. through two lasers operating at different wavelengths)in a same scanner. In other embodiments, multiple beams may be emittedby using two scanners, each emitting at a different wavelength (e.g.through two lasers operating at different wavelengths). In yet otherembodiments, a single wavelength may be used to emit two simultaneousbeams in two different directions, by controlling the phased array andshape its beam to have two main lobes instead of a single main lobe.

In the example of FIG. 17, a transmitter (1720) emits two beams(1760,1765) at two different angles. The emitted beams are reflected bytwo objects (1735,1740) located at different distances (1750,1755) fromthe transmitter. Each of the two beams has a scanning range (1745,1750)over which the beam can be scanned by controlling the amplitude andphase of the emitters in the optical phased array in the transmitter.The light reflected (1730) by object (1735) and the light reflected(1725) by object (1740) are received by two receivers (1715,1710) whichare oriented in different directions. For example, the angle between thelongitudinal axis of the receivers can be termed β (1705). Theorientation angle (1705) of the receiver chips is optimized to maximizethe received SNR at each receiver from the designated scanning area.

In some embodiments, the switches (115) of FIG. 1 can be substitutedwith one or more optical multiplexers, which can be implemented with anarray waveguide grating. FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary arrayedwaveguide grating (AWG) which can be used for multiplexing a pluralityof wavelengths. The arrayed waveguide grating is based on the wavelengthdependent constructive interference of the delayed optical signals. Theeffect will create the constructive interference of differentwavelengths in a specific location hence multiplexing differentwavelengths or different wavelengths in different locations(demultiplexing). The different wavelengths (1815) from multiple lasersare input to the AWG and enter a free space propagation region (1813)followed by grating waveguides (1810). In some embodiments, the gratingconsists of a large number of waveguides with a constant lengthincrement (ΔL). Each wavelength of light coupled to the gratingwaveguides (1810) undergoes a wavelength-dependent change of phase dueto the constant length increment in the grating waveguides. Lightdiffracted from each waveguide of the grating (1810) into the secondfree space propagation (1807) interferes constructively (1817) and isrefocused at the output waveguide (1805). The AWG can act as a MUX withnegligible crosstalk between channels. Therefore, the K×1 switch (115)of FIG. 1 can be substituted by an AWG with K wavelengths (λ₁, λ_(k))which are input to the AWG and output as a single wavelength. Instead ofactively controlling the K×1 switch to select which laser is coupledthrough the rest of the LiDAR system, then MUX can be used to passivelytransmit the light from a single laser to the rest of the LiDAR system.The lasers can, for example, be current controlled to select which laseris transmitting its wavelength through the MUX. The AWG of FIG. 18 canalso be used as a demultiplexer if used in the opposite orientation.

In some embodiments, a wavelength locker can be inserted after the MUX,using about 1-2% of power, to stabilize the laser and precisely controlthe wavelength of the laser. Otherwise, the wavelength of the laser maynot be precise. The wavelength locker can, in some embodiment, relax thecalibration requirements.

In some embodiments, with reference on the encoders (135) of FIG. 1, itis possible to add phase and amplitude modulation (PM and AM), enablingcontinuous wave (CW) operation. Pulsed operation requires a higher peakpower, therefore, in some embodiments, CW operation may be advantageous.In some embodiments, the frequency of the signal transmitted by theLiDAR system onto surrounding object can be shifted over time, forexample following a triangular wave modulation, as illustrated in FIG.19. FIG. 19 illustrates the frequency of the signal in the y axis, as afunction of time in the x axis. The signal emitted by the LiDAR systemis illustrated as (1905), while the reflected signal is illustrated as(1910). The light reflected from the object is shifted by the amount τ(1915). In some embodiments, light at the first, emitted, frequency andthe light at the second, reflected, frequency can be mixed to obtain abeat (the difference between the two frequencies). For example, twosinusoidal signals can be used to obtain a beat. The difference betweenthe two frequencies (1905,1910) will be proportional to τ.

In some embodiments. The LiDAR system can perform adaptive tracking. Forexample, the system can lock onto a visible object and track it. Forexample, an object may have a specific reflection that can render itreadily identifiable. The system can also lock onto moving object, forexample following a child moving within the visible frame, or trackingthe rise and fall of a breathing chest, to track the health conditionsof a human being.

The light emitted by the system may also have, in some embodiments, apenetration depth of a few mm, or less than a mm. This would enablehealth monitoring, for example capturing a heartbeat as well asbreathing.

In some embodiments, the wavelength ranges of each laser can be, forexample, 1500-1520 nm, 1520-1540 nm, and so on in increments of 20 nm upto 1580-1600 nm. In some embodiments, the scanners may be 2D or 1D. Insome embodiments, the 1D scanners control the angle θ emitted by thescanner's optical phased array at a specific wavelength, by controllingthe phase of the light emitted by the emitters of the phased array. Inother embodiments, the 2D optical phased array can control both θ and φemission angles at a specific wavelength. The wavelength can becontrolled by switching the light from one of the lasers of the system.If using a 1D scanner, it is possible to have sub-micrometer spacingbetween emitters. In this embodiment, the wavelength can be used tosweep. In some embodiments, if using 2D scanners, both angles can bevaried by controlling the phased array (by changing the phase andamplitude) instead of varying the wavelength. In some embodiments, θ canbe defined as the angle θ in FIG. 10, i.e. along a plane normal to thehorizontal plane of the device (as seen in FIGS. 9-10); φ can be definedin a plane normal to the plane of θ, and comprising the longitudinalaxis of a scanner (such as the right direction in FIG. 8).

In some embodiments, the angular width of the main lobe of an emittedbeam can be defined as the width value at a 3 dB intensity drop from thepeak value of far field pattern. The present disclosure describes asystem that has a reconfigurable field of view. The field of view can becustomized according to the specific application. Scanning can becarried out by selecting a wavelength, as the emitters of a phased arraywill emit at different angles according to the input wavelength.Scanning resolution and rate can be increased in a specific region ofthe field of view, increasing the flexibility of the system, as moreresources can be applied to scan specific regions. In some embodiments,multiple input wavelengths can be applied at the same time as an inputto one or more phased arrays in the system. In some embodiments,different lasers operating in different wavelength ranges are present inthe system, and a switch allows controlling the emission angle θ bychanging the input wavelength (selecting the laser). In someembodiments, φ can be controlled by the electronic input of the opticalphased array. In some embodiments, calibration diodes are included bydetect a portion (e.g. 1-5%) of the emission light, to allow on-chipcalibration. This portion of light is captured by the diodes. As knownto the person of ordinary skill in the art, calibration of current LiDARranging system is a difficult task. On-chip calibration integrated inthe system can be advantageous. In some embodiments, the photonic chipmay be fabricated in Si, or other materials, such as III-Vsemiconductors. In some embodiments, the control circuitry for digitalprocessing may be based on CMOS, or other processes such as BiCMOS (acombination of bipolar and CMOS technology), or field-programmable gatearray (FPGA) or others.

In some embodiments, a grating coupler can be used as an emitter. Thesystem may also calculate a range and reflectivity, velocity and Dopplershift of objects in the environment. In some embodiments, it is possibleto control the number of emitters which are transmitting to change thepitch. For example, half of the emitters can be turned off to change thepitch, since the pitch is determined by the distance between the activeemitters. Therefore, the LiDAR system described herein isreconfigurable.

In some embodiments, it is possible to change the thickness of theoptical transmission material. For example, if Si is used, its thicknessmay be varied, in the waveguides and other optical components. The powerat the laser side is gradually split between multiple channels as theoptical signals move towards the emitters. For example, the light of onelaser is ultimately split between a great number of emitters. Therefore,the thickness required to safely carry that power is greater at thelaser side and can be gradually decreased moving towards the emitters'side. For example, the Si may have a thickness of 3 micrometer at thelaser side, and gradually decrease down to 1 micrometer at the emitterside, as the light is split between a greater number of components. Asimilar feature can be implemented at the receiver's side.

In some embodiments, the transmitter enables spatial selectivity as theoptical phased array can direct the mean spatially. The receiver mayalso have spatial selectivity to determine from which location the beamis reflected from, for example enabling light of sight applications. Insome embodiments, a flood transmitter may be used, while the receiverhas spatial selectivity. In some embodiments, both receiver andtransmitter may have spatial selectivity. The LiDAR system describedherein may work at different wavelengths, including the visible range.

A number of embodiments of the disclosure have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

The examples set forth above are provided to those of ordinary skill inthe art as a complete disclosure and description of how to make and usethe embodiments of the disclosure, and are not intended to limit thescope of what the inventor/inventors regard as their disclosure.

Modifications of the above-described modes for carrying out the methodsand systems herein disclosed that are obvious to persons of skill in theart are intended to be within the scope of the following claims. Allpatents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicativeof the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which thedisclosure pertains. All references cited in this disclosure areincorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference hadbeen incorporated by reference in its entirety individually.

It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to particularmethods or systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to belimiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless thecontent clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two ormore referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unlessdefined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which the disclosure pertains.

The references in the present application, shown in the reference listbelow, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

REFERENCES

-   1. H. Abediasl and H. Hashemi, “Monolithic optical phased-array    transceiver in a standard SOI CMOS process,” Optics Express, vol.    23, no. 5, pp. 6509-6519, March 2015.-   2. S. Chung, H. Abediasl and H. Hashemi, “A 1024-element scalable    optical phased array in 180 nm SOI CMOS,” in IEEE International    Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) Digest of Technical Papers    (2017).-   3. C. V. Poulton et. al. “Optical Phased Array with Small Spot Size,    High Steering Range and Grouped Cascaded Phase Shifters.” In    Integrated Photonics Research, Silicon and Nanophotonics Optical    Society of America 2016.-   4. U.S. Pat. No. 9,476,981 “Optical phased arrays”

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising an optical scanner, theoptical scanner comprising an optical phased array, the optical scannercomprising: a power splitter configured to split light from a waveguideconnecting at least one laser to a plurality of waveguides; a pluralityof amplitude modulators or phase modulators, each connected to the powersplitter through a corresponding waveguide of the plurality ofwaveguides; and a plurality of emitters, each emitter connected to acorresponding amplitude or phase modulator through a correspondingwaveguide, wherein: the plurality of amplitude modulators or phasemodulators is configured to receive control signals to control anamplitude or phase of the light, and the optical phased array isconfigured to emit a light beam in a spatial direction based on theamplitude or phase of the light.
 2. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of optical scanners, each optical scanner asrecited in claim 1, wherein each optical scanner of the plurality ofoptical scanners is configured to transmit light in a spatial directiondifferent from other optical scanners of the plurality of opticalscanners.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein each spatial direction isparametrized by a first radiation angle and a second radiation angle,and each optical scanner of the plurality of optical scanners isconfigured to transmit light with a different first radiation angle orsecond radiation angle relative to adjacent optical scanners of theplurality of optical scanners.
 4. The device of claim 2, furthercomprising a plurality of lasers, each laser operating at a differentwavelength relative to other lasers of the plurality of lasers, andfurther comprising at least one switch between the plurality of lasersand the power splitter, configured to switch between lasers of theplurality of lasers.
 5. The device of claim 4, further comprising aplurality of encoders, each encoder configured to encode light of anoptical scanner.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein each emitter of theplurality of emitters comprises a grating coupler.
 7. The device ofclaim 2, further comprising a plurality of lasers, each laser operatingat a different wavelength relative to other lasers of the plurality oflasers, and further comprising at least one multiplexer between theplurality of lasers and the power splitter, configured to multiplexlight from the plurality of lasers.
 8. The device of claim 7, whereinthe at least one multiplexer is an arrayed waveguide grating.
 9. Thedevice of claim 5, wherein the plurality of encoders is configured toencode amplitude of the light, phase of the light, or both amplitude andphase of the light.
 10. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality oflasers operates in pulsed mode.
 11. The device of claim 4, wherein theplurality of lasers operates in continuous wave frequency modulatedmode.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of amplitudemodulators or phase modulators comprises amplitude modulators configuredto transmit a uniform amplitude profile to the plurality of emitters.13. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of amplitude modulatorsor phase modulators comprises amplitude modulators configured totransmit a Gaussian amplitude profile to the plurality of emitters. 14.The device of claim 4, wherein the device comprises Si, and a thicknessof Si decreases progressively from a first side of the device comprisingthe plurality of lasers, to a second side of the device comprising theplurality of emitters.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the thicknessof Si at the first side is 3 micrometers, and the thickness of Si at thesecond side is 1 micrometer.
 16. A system comprising the device of claim9, and a receiver, the receiver comprising: a broadband receiverconfigured to receive light reflected from objects in an environmentafter emission from the optical phased array; a plurality of decodersconfigured to decode amplitude or phase coding of the plurality ofencoders; and a digital signal processing unit configured to determineranging from the receiver to the objects.
 17. A method comprising:generating light by at least one laser; selecting a wavelength of thelight; splitting light from the at least one laser to a plurality ofencoders; encoding the light in a pattern by the plurality of encoders;and transmitting the light in a spatial direction by an optical phasedarray comprising a plurality of emitters, each emitter connected to acorresponding encoder of the plurality of encoders through acorresponding waveguide.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:receiving light reflected by objects in an environment aftertransmission by the optical phased array; decoding the received light;and calculating a range of and reflectivity from the objects.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the pattern comprises an amplitude, phase,quantity, duration and period of square wave pulses.
 20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein: the at least one laser comprises a plurality oflasers, each laser operating at a different wavelength, and selecting awavelength comprises activating at least one switch to switch betweenlasers of the plurality of lasers.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein:the at least one laser comprises a plurality of lasers, each laseroperating at a different wavelength, and splitting light from the atleast one laser to a plurality of encoders comprises: transmitting lightfrom the plurality of lasers to at least one passive multiplexer;transmitting light from the at least one passive multiplexer to asplitter; and transmitting light from the splitter to the plurality ofencoders.